Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Overview

Overview

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus), a bird listed as Threatened in Wisconsin. This species prefers larger stands of older-aged to mature bottomland hardwoods along riparian areas, deciduous swamps, and northern hardwoods or mixed deciduous – coniferous upland forests with wetland pockets or ephemeral ponds interspersed or located in close proximity. The required avoidance period is from April 1 to July 31.
See the species guidance document for avoidance measures and management guidance from the Natural Heritage Conservation Program.

State status

The table below provides information about the protected status -
both state and federal - and the rank (S and G Ranks) for Red-shouldered Hawk
(Buteo lineatus). See the Working
List Key for more information about abbreviations. Counties shaded blue have documented occurrences for this species in the Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory database. The map is provided as a general reference of where occurrences of this species meet NHI data standards and is not meant as a comprehensive map of all observations.

Note: Species recently added to the NHI Working List may temporarily have blank occurrence maps.

Summary Information

State Status

THR

Federal Status in Wisconsin

none

State Rank

S3S4B,S1N

Global Rank

G5

Tracked by NHI

Y

WWAP

SGCN

Species guidance

This document contains identification and life history information for Red-shouldered Hawk. It also describes how to screen projects for potential impact to this species, lists avoidance measures, and provides general management guidance.

Active nest of Red-shouldered Hawk (WI Threatened) in oak. Fresh greenery has been added to the nest rim.

Photo by Rich Staffen, WDNR.

Red-shouldered Hawk Nest.

Photo by Rich Staffen, WDNR.

Nestling Red-shouldered Hawks in northern Wisconsin.

Photo by Jim Woodford, WDNR.

Wildlife Action Plan

Natural community (habitat) associations

The table below lists the natural communities that are associated with Red-shouldered Hawk. Only natural communities for which Red-shouldered Hawk is "high" (score=3) or "moderate" (score=2) associated are shown. See the key to association scores for complete definitions. Please see the Wildlife Action Plan to learn how this information was developed.

Ecological landscape associations

The table below lists the ecological landscape association scores for Red-shouldered Hawk. The scores correspond to the map (3=High, 2=Moderate, 1=Low, 0=None). For more information, please see the Wildlife Action Plan.

Landscape-Community combinations of highest ecological priority*

Ecological priorities are the combinations of natural communities and ecological landscapes that provide Wisconsin's best opportunities to conserve important habitats for a given Species of Greatest Conservation Need. The 10 highest scoring combinations are considered ecological priorities and are listed below. More than 10 combinations are listed if multiple combinations tied for 10th place. For more information, please see the Wildlife Action Plan.

* Ecological priority score is a relative measure that is not meant for comparison between species. This score does not consider socio-economical factors that may dictate protection and/or management priorities differently than those determined solely by ecological analysis. Further, a low ecological priority score does not imply that management or preservation should not occur on a site if there are important reasons for doing so locally.

Issues/threats and conservation actions

Conservation actions respond to issues or threats, which adversely affect species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) or their habitats. Besides actions such as restoring wetlands or planting resilient tree species in northern communities, research, surveys and monitoring are also among conservation actions described in the WWAP because lack of information can threaten our ability to successfully preserve and care for natural resources.